One Last Perfect Weekend

This past weekend the weather felt more like "early spring." It felt wonderful and was most welcome, as our endless summer is right around the corner. We still have a couple of amaryllis' blooming in the garden. This particular variety comes from Mrs. Flora's garden. She was one of our neighbors when I was a kid. It's nice to have reminders of people, from my past, in the garden.

The sunny perennial bed has enjoyed our mild winter and warm spring, despite the lack of rain. The black-eyed Susan's, snapdragons and pentas are in full bloom. This garden bed puts a smile on my face and joy in my heart every time I look at it.  

I just love the carefree nature of the Black-eyed Susan's. 

They keep reminding me to let go and let nature do its thing in the garden. 

The snapdragons did very little through the winter, but once spring arrived they shot up like little rockets, and have been showering me with pretty pink blossoms for months. I will be sad to see them go.

The black-eyed Susan's are all volunteers and they are without a doubt, one of the happiest plants I've ever seen. They're not needy, always look great and the bees love them!

 There were lots of little bees humming from flower to flower. The underbelly of his little body is absolutely drenched in pollen. They just can't seem to get enough!

A close up view shows all that wonderful yellow pollen that this flower contains. They are without a doubt, the gift that keeps on giving. I bet the bees would agree with me!

A Feathered Nest

Shortly after I started working on my new garden, I hung a plastic gourd birdhouse from the arbor. I was hoping that a mama bird might use it to feather her nest someday. Nothing happened the first year, even though the Carolina Wren checked it out and placed a few sticks inside of it.

 But recently when I was working in the garden, I noticed the Carolina Wren flying back and forth to the gourd. I got all excited about it and headed inside to get my camera.

Standing far away from the nest, I zoomed in as far as I could and was able to see a couple of babies in the nest.  Isn't that the cutest little face ever? After mama flew away, I walked past the gourd and could hear the chirps of hungry little baby birds.

As I sat at the back of the garden and watched mama fly back and forth with tasty treats, I noticed that she was plucking Zebra Longwing caterpillars off the passion vine growing just a short distance from the gourd. 

That wasn't exactly what I had planned when I planted the vine but, oh well, there will be more Zebra Longwings in the future. And, perhaps, that is why she chose to feather her nest in the gourd. In the meantime, I'll just enjoy the striking purple flowers, and the adorable little wrens as they learn how to fly.

As my garden becomes more established, I'm happy - actually, I'M THRILLED - to see more and more wildlife making it their home.

One Year Later

A few weeks ago I was strolling back through my blog and came upon photos of the backyard in May of 2015. I saved the pics so I could do a post on how the garden has matured in one year.

So, here we go! Let's take a look at the garden one year ago and one year later.

This photo was taken at almost mid-garden looking toward the north. Everything was very tiny, and the elevated area in the far corner was just barely a thought in my mind.

One year later and everything is filling in nicely, and the idea for the far corner garden is on its way.  More on that "secret" little space in a future post.

Now standing in about the same spot mid-garden but looking in the opposite direction (toward the south), it was pretty well planted but all very small.

One year later and it's starting to look a little more jungle-like.

At the very south corner of the garden is a view of the patio and the butterfly garden.

One year later and we've just about lost view of the wall surrounding the patio. 

This area is located right next to the patio in the above photo (where the corner of the house is) and is a view of the south side of the garden. 

One year later and most of the fence is covered with the exception of the gate. 

It's amazing to look back and see how it has grown and filled in in just one year. A mix of warm weather, plentiful rain and no winter freezes makes for perfect growing conditions. 

Organized Chaos!!!

As I was strolling through the "sunny butterfly corner" of my backyard the other day, two words came to mind - Organized Chaos! 

Yes, I have become very good at packing the plants into my small space!

So good, that even the walkways are narrowing. All I can say is it's been a GOOD year for Black-eyed Susan's, as they have reseeded prolifically throughout the garden. I did relocate a few into the garden beds, but I love the look of random clumps of flowers taking up space in the walkway.

And, then there's the discovery of a plant that I had forgotten I bought (the lavender Agastache) until its blooms sprung up between the Tropical Salvia and more Blackeyed-Susan's. Uhm, I might be a little out of control!!

 I love it when the blooms of plants intermingle together in one beautiful blooming feast for the eyes. 

Red Pentas, Black & Blue Salvia take front stage with, of course, more Black-eyed Susan's in the background. Pure Joy!

More heirloom red Pentas and Wendy's Wish Salvia are blending together on the south side of this area, while MORE Black-eyed Susan's have jumped the border and planted themselves between the border grass and the walkway.  I will tame these prolific little beasts back later this year, but for now they are a welcome addition and the butterflies and bees are lovin' them!

After seeing the photos above of what I call 'Organized Chaos' - you might be thinking that a better description would be 'Utter Chaos!' But, I beg to differ! 

According to the Collins Dictionary, the definition of 'organized chaos' is "a complex situation or process that appears chaotic while having enough order to achieve its goals." 

My goal for this space is to have plenty of nectar plants to keep as many butterflies, as possible, happy - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

 Miss Makayla loves our 'wild little jungle!' Sometimes she's hidden away beneath the plants, and other times she oversees her blooming kingdom from up high.

The Big and the Small of it

As all of you veggie growers know . . . sometimes you get lucky with your crops and sometimes you don't. 

Sometimes you get a plentiful harvest . . . and sometimes you don't.

Sometimes you can grow an extra large veggie . . . and sometimes you get a paltry looking specimen. 

And, so it goes with my garden . . .

This past winter we enjoyed watching our super-sized Georgia collard green grow and grow and grow  . . . 

We ate off of another collard green plant while we enjoyed the beauty of this beastly-sized collard in the garden. Oops, when I took this photo I didn't notice the teenaged Lubber grasshopper on the gigantic leaf. He wouldn't dare touch my prized collard! Would he?

and then there's the other side of the coin . . .

One of the potato plants that we planted on Valentine's day died back. Hhmm, that shouldn't happen until sometime late in June, so I decided to take a look to see if, just perhaps they were ready to harvest early.

And, what do I find? Two miniature dime-sized little potatoes. Definitely not enough to fill one's hungry belly. Oh well, I can only hope the other potatoes still in the ground can go the distance. 

And, that's the BIG and the small of it in my May garden.

May at a Glance

Oranges & Lemons Gaillardia

~~~ Notes from the May Garden ~~~

Wow, it seems like May has just whizzed by in such a gosh darn hurry to get on to summer. And, speaking of summer...isn't this Orange & Lemons gaillardia just the epitome of a summer flower? She's like a ray of sunshine beaming up at me everytime I pass her in the garden. She makes me smile!

This May has definitely been the driest month of the year so far. While three separate storms brought hope and a bit of windy weather with them...in the end, they only managed to sprinkle the garden with a bit more than an inch of rain. That was a big disappointment!

But May did bring a pleasant and unexpected surprise...a "real" cool front that actually lasted for 3 whole days. A reminder of those pleasantly cool spring mornings followed by humidless afternoons in the 80's. That was a total joy!

Even though we didn't have too many April showers, we did have plenty of May flowers. A lot of  plants are blooming, but I'd have to say the daylilies are at the head of the class. 

 These daylilies act as border plants for the island bed when they're not in bloom. The island bed has changed quite a bit in the last year, so I'll do an update on it soon.

Last year the red/yellow variety bloomed along with the solid yellows, but this year the red/yellow variety went first, followed by the solid yellows. Hhmm, I wonder why that would be?

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Finally, two finicky hydrangeas have decided on a location in the garden. Both of these plants have been relocated a couple of times in search of the right spot, and THANKFULLY they've finally found it! 

Now they're deciding if they're going to bloom blue or pink!

I'm envious of those gardeners who can grow them in full sun with very little water. My two "princesses" want very little to do with the sun, and they demand that I provide cool splashes of water on them regularly.

Lacecap

And, to make matters wors,e I've got an Oakleaf hydrangea that I've had to move once...he finally found a spot he likes, only to be somehow broken off near the base of the plant...and now, finally is about 2 feet tall again. I think he's gonna stay, too. I have to admit...quietly though...they are quite pretty and have attractive foliage.

More Flowers in the May garden....

Texas sage, Fruit cocktail shrimp plant & Agapanthus

Unknown cold-hardy butterfly plant (if anyone can I.D. it that would be great), Russian sage & Simpson Stopper

Coneflower, Yarrow, Sweet almond (heavenly fragrance) & Mealy cup sage in a pale shade of blue.

Two nice-sized patches...one pink, one white...of Gaura a/k/a whirling butterfly. The pink looks so pretty against the gray fronds of the Bismarck palm.

And some fruit and veggies, too...

Blackberries (Navaho & Apache - both thornless varieties), Fennel producing seeds, Sungold tomatoes (excellent producer/wonderful taste), Currant tomatoes (terrifically sweet taste) & Red mulberries (a yummy memory from my childhood)

And, some orchids, too...

May's Simple Pleasures...

Enjoying a bowlful of warm blueberry crisp on Memorial Day in complete gratitude to the men and women who so bravely serve(d) our country to protect the freedom that we enjoy today. Thank you!

Queen butterfly on Milkweed

And, in closing, I have to say that even though the afternoons are quite warm...the humidity has been low (for this time of the year)...and it was a very pleasant month right up through to the end.

That doesn't always happen, so I'm VERY thankful that May is gently easing us into summer!

My Favorites...this month!

FloridaGirl at Peace in the Valley said it so well in a recent post..."May is the Month of Garden Perfection!" How true that is. So true, that I had a difficult time limiting myself to 4 or 5 picks.  All of my choices are truly favorites.

(Click on photo to enlarge for better viewing)

The daylilies have been outdoing themselves. I only have two varieties in my garden...a solid yellow and a red with a yellow center. Both of these are "old-timey" tried-and-true varieties given to me by my stepfather. The plants grow tall (2 feet in height) and multiply like crazy. They're the only varieties that thrive for me.

Two of my favorite roses blooming this month are Double Pink Knock-outs ‘Radtkopink’ and the vintage Seafoam Rosa 'Seafoam'...a white rose with small but plentiful fragrant blossoms.

Caladiums are emerging all over the garden, and while it's hard to pick just one favorite...actually quite impossible...I selected 'Kathleen' because it sports my favorite colors...pink and green. ;-) I had to include a stalk of the gorgeous pink and white gladiolas. They are a real treat as a cut flower.

The white seahorse is a new favorite. It's actually the bottom of a birdbath that belonged to my late Aunt Erna. The water basin must have broken, but she kept the base in her garden as a decor piece. I immediately fell in love with it.

And, two very pretty purple flowers...Stokes' Aster  Stokesia laevis 'Omega Skyrocket' and Mealy Cup Sage Salvia farinacea 'Victoria Blue' are outdoing themselves.

What are your favorites this month? If you'd like to join me in posting your favorites for the month, please do...they don't have to be in collage form...but do leave a comment, so I can drop by and see your favorites.

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

It finally happened! Following our unusually cold and dry winter we finally got our first thunderstorm of the summer season, and not any too soon. You could just hear the shriveled up dry grass and plants sighing with relief as their thirst was quenched. As the rain ended a beautiful double rainbow could be seen sprawled across the evening sky. The perfect ending to the day! In this photo you can just barely see the second rainbow perched atop the brighter bottom one.

Hopefully, the rains will continue to come and our dried up grass will repair itself.